Veteran theater pals bring enduring couple to life in 'I Do! I Do!'

Renowned musical talents Davis Gaines and Vicki Lewis are set to illuminate the Laguna Playhouse in "I Do! I Do!" Gaines is acclaimed for his long-time role in "Phantom of the Opera," "Hello, Dolly" and "Camelot." Lewis is acclaimed for her roles in "Chicago," "Damn Yankees" and "The Crucible."ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Theatrical veterans Davis Gaines and Vicki Lewis are the perfect couple at the perfect age to star in "I Do! I Do!"

The 1966 musical was written by the team made famous a few years before with "The Fantasticks," Tom Jones (book and lyrics) and Harvey Schmidt (music). It tells the story of Michael and Agnes, a couple who experience many highs and lows during their 50-year marriage. The actors need to age five decades, from dewy newlyweds to septuagenarians with aches and pains. Gaines, 54, and Lewis, 53, fall somewhere in between the two extremes, limber enough to play twentysomethings but old enough to play retirees without resorting to layers of make-up.

Directed by Alan Souza, "I Do! I Do! opens today at the Laguna Playhouse and runs through Aug. 11.

Gaines and Lewis have equally impressive career credits.

He is best known as the man who played the lead role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera" more than 2,000 times. Additional theater work includes "Whistle Down the Wind," "Camelot," "Hello, Dolly!" and "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas." He has appeared in many network TV shows including "Desperate Housewives," "Charmed," "Chicago Hope," "Veronica's Closet," "Bodies of Evidence" and "Murder, She Wrote."

Lewis made a name for herself as Beth in the NBC sitcom "Newsradio." Lewis' theater credits include "Chicago," "Damn Yankees," "Pal Joey" and "Gypsy." She worked with Gaines in a production of "Hello, Dolly!" Her other TV work includes "How I Met Your Mother," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Bones," "Grey's Anatomy" and "Murphy Brown." Her film resume is lengthy too, with roles in "The Ugly Truth," "Always a Bride," "Last Day Of Summer" and "California Dreamin," among other films.

Orange County Register:This musical debuted in the mid-'60s. Has it been brought up to date or is it set in the half-century that ends about 1966?

Davis Gaines: It's not contemporized at all. It makes sense in that time period. Everything starts in 1907. He's a little chauvinistic; very "What I say goes!" She's outwardly submissive. But they change a lot. Everyone who's in a relationship can relate to what we go through in 50 years. Some of it is very tough – the jealousy, the feelings of worthlessness. I can't imagine doing the show with someone you don't like or care about and have a background with. It's like shorthand with us.

Vicki Lewis: They're virgins when they get married. But she was also ahead of her time if you look at the choices she made: she threatens to move out and take the kids. In that day and age for her to be doing that with no recourse is quite brave. She couldn't have gotten alimony or any support – she had no skills.

Register:How do you show age and change?

Lewis: Well, I'm 53 – it's not hard. I just pretend that I'm not young at a certain point. It's in body language; it's in the clothes. Every time I put another wig and costume on, it sort of sets the tone. I just become middle-aged looking.

Gaines: I have a mustache that turns gray. But it's mostly acting.

Register:In the final scene you're near the end of your lives. What's that like to play?

Lewis: We're still working on that. They're suddenly in their 70s. I didn't want to play it like a caricature. You've got to find a way where you're not on "The Carol Burnett Show" doing a Tim Conway old man. That's the part that's hard for me to figure out. I really want this evening to be relatable on every level, even though this piece is somewhat dated. I don't want us to become caricatures.

Gaines: We don't age our faces until the last scene. When we become 77 we go off to our dressing tables on either side of the stage and actually the audience sees us putting on the make-up and age lines and the gray wigs. It's the only time we do that in the whole play.

Renowned musical talents Davis Gaines and Vicki Lewis are set to illuminate the Laguna Playhouse in "I Do! I Do!" Gaines is acclaimed for his long-time role in "Phantom of the Opera," "Hello, Dolly" and "Camelot." Lewis is acclaimed for her roles in "Chicago," "Damn Yankees" and "The Crucible." ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Davis Gaines, famous for his work on "Phantom of the Opera," "Hello, Dolly" and "Camelot" will join Vicki Lewis at the Laguna Playhouse for "I Do! I Do!" The production opens Saturday, July 13. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Davis Gaines is best known as the man who played the lead role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's “The Phantom of the Opera” over 2,000 times. Additional theater work includes “Whistle Down the Wind,” “Camelot,” “Hello, Dolly!” and “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.” He has appeared in many network TV shows including “Desperate Housewives,” “Charmed,” “Chicago Hope,” “Veronica's Closet,” “Bodies of Evidence” and “Murder, She Wrote.” ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Gaines and Lewis worked together in a production of "Hello, Dolly." ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Vicki Lewis on the characters in "I Do! I Do!": "They're virgins when they get married. But she was also ahead of her time if you look at the choices she made: she threatens to move out and take the kids. In that day and age for her to be doing that with no recourse is quite brave. She couldn't have gotten alimony or any support – she had no skills." ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Renowned musical talents Davis Gaines and Vicki Lewis are set to illuminate the Laguna Playhouse in "I Do! I Do!" Gaines is acclaimed for his long-time role in "Phantom of the Opera," "Hello, Dolly" and "Camelot." Lewis is acclaimed for her roles in "Chicago," "Damn Yankees" and "The Crucible." ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Lewis on heer role: Lewis: "I don't think it happens all that much in musical theater where you get the opportunity to play a character that's a little bit broken. They're kind of willowy characters. They're not huge like Mama Rose. They're written for actors who love subtleties. In this play you see fragility and an emotional arc." ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Vicki Lewis on playing old: "Well, I'm 53 – it's not hard. I just pretend that I'm not young at a certain point. It's in body language; it's in the clothes. Every time I put another wig and costume on, it sort of sets the tone. I just become middle-aged looking." ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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